The SeeD Extinction
by Ixidor Alucard
Summary: Squall is desperately looking for his friends, after a new Sorceress has destroyed Balamb Garden and begun hunting down all the SeeDs. The only help Squall has is a mysterious man named Ixidor Alucard, in one of Squall's greatest adventures yet.
1. Chapter 1: Goodbye and Hello

**A/N: Just to clarify, the prologue to this story takes place 3 years after the events of FF8, which would make the fanfic (from the 2 years later thing onwards) 5 years after the events of the game. I don't own FF8 or the characters, but Ixidor Alucard is one of my original characters. Now enjoy, and read and review please, I'd like your comments and opinions**

Squall didn't understand what had happened. He wasn't sure he would ever understand. He looked back at Balamb Garden, slowly burning to the ground.

His Garden. His home.

With a pang of sorrow he thought of the SeeDs that had chosen to stay and fight, so he and his friends would have time to escape. After all, there was no doubt that they were the prime targets of the new Sorceress. He tried to put out of his mind the fact that he had known some of them personally, such as Nida and Xu, and that fact that he would probably never see them again. But he couldn't have stayed. The wind whipped at his face as he looked around at his friends.

Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Rinoa...Would they meet again?

The group marched on through the ruins of Balamb. As they reached the crossroads, all eyes were on Zell. He had chosen to stay in Balamb with his mother and see what kind of resistance they could scrounge together, to try fighting the Sorceress.

Squall had hoped Zell would change his mind, hoped without hope that he would come to his senses and leave like the rest of them. But as Zell wished them luck and walked away, Squall's hopes went up in flames, like his beloved Garden. The group sullenly walked on, through the entrance to Balamb Train Station. The station sign fluttered in the wind, looking like it would fall at any moment. Thank God the trains were still running. This would be their best and possibly only chance to leave Balamb. They all purchased their tickets, and looked around at each other. They all said their goodbyes, trying to look hopeful, happy, for each other. But they all knew that they would probably never be together again.

Selphie's train pulled in first. Squall admired her choice, and sincerely wished her the best; the Shumi Village was a hard place to start a new life. She hugged them all, saying how much she would miss them...Squall looked away. He didn't want to admit he would probably miss her too. Hyper, cheerful Selphie...When she got to Irvine, he held her tight, like he would never let go. Then he did something none of them expected; he kissed her. Even more unexpected was that she kissed him back, with such passion, as if they were hoping that that one kiss would last the rest of their lives. Then it was over, and she ran onto the train, tears of sorrow streaming down her face...or was it joy? As the train to Galbadia Garden pulled in, Irvine waved feebly to the rest of them, as if his mind were still thinking, thinking of Selphie...he picked up his gun and boarded the train with a sad smile on his face.

The train to Dollet arrived next. Quistis looked at Squall and Rinoa. Squall had wished she hadn't. By now tears were falling freely from her face, and she couldn't even bear to say good-bye, and she rushed onto the train. Unlike the rest of the other trains, the trains for Esthar and Deling City pulled in almost simultanoeusly. Rinoa grabbed her bags, smiled at Squall, and got on the train. He felt like calling out to her, to tell her how much he loved her, to not leave him, to do anything but say good-bye...But before he could, she came flying out of the train and threw herself into his arms.

"Please, Squall, please, come with me," she said, "We'll go together, we'll go anywhere we want..."

He put a finger to her lips. "Rinoa, you know we can't...I'd rather take my chances alone..."

"So this really is good-bye?" She asked him.

"Yeah." he replied, hoping she wouldn't object, hoping she wouldn't look into his eyes and see how desperately he wanted to be with her...

"Well, let's make it a good-bye to remember." Rinoa whispered, and she kissed him, to his surprise, and as they broke apart, she whispered in his ear, "Good-bye, Squall Leonhart." And she walked away, through that station and onto the train without another word.

As he boarded the train to Esthar, he looked at his Griever ring, the one Rinoa had wanted to wear a few years ago; Then he remembered his own words at an old stone orphanage years ago:

_I'll be all right. I'll be able to take care of myself. _He hadn't been all right at all. And now, as soon as he had learned to open his heart to others, they all had to walk out of his life forever! He pulled off the ring and threw it as hard as he could, as though it were his pain and sorrow, and he could just throw it all away...

**Two Years Later**

There is a bar in Esthar, called the Drunken Chocobo. You will find the toughest, most frightening outlaws in all of Esthar there. Not even Esthar police would go near there, because 6 had tried in the past and were brutally murdered. At least, that's what Squall Leonhart had heard.

A few years ago, there were no dives or bars or anything like that in Esthar; but that was before Sorceress Relena had corrupted everything, and Esthar was no exception. As Squall walked into the room, his first impression was...dirty. Everything, from the busted, scarred wooden tables to the shattered shot glasses were coated with a thick layer of dust.

The clientele wasn't much better; you could smell them from half a mile away, and their clothes were old and tattered. Squall disliked the place almost immediately; but the fact that Esthar police never came here made it a great place to hide, and he had had some close calls already. So the Drunken Chocobo it was. He paid a few thousand gil to the bartender for a drink and the man stopped eyeing him suspiciously.

Apparently, he could buy people's empathy here. He would have to remember that.

He looked around; a couple of men had gone back to their game of cards; a group of men were talking, occasionally glancing in Squall's direction. As he sat down in a table, he noticed that many beady eyes were on him; he DID seem out of place, he supposed.

In fact, the only one that seemed as out of place as he was was a young man across the room. He might have been Squall's age; however, that was the only similarity between the two. He wore a long black cloak, jeans, and black boots. The man had covered his face with his cloak, but Squall could make out a slightly pointed nose, dark-green eyes, and spiky jet-black hair that was matted down over his forehead. He carried a most unusual weapon. It was a long, broad blade, but it had a strange strap on it, and Squall could only guess that it went around his wrist.

Squall thought of his own friends from long ago, and smiled; nunchaku, chakram, even his own gunblade...and he was judging this man's weapon! He had barely thought this when the group of men he had observed walked up to him. _Damn! _he thought to himself. He didn't want to have to fight anybody...

"So stranger, you seem awfully familiar." said the man who Squall assumed was their leader. "You ever been around these parts before?"

"No. I'm just passing through here." said Squall curtly.

"Really? So, why do the three of us guys think you're so familiar, stranger?" He looked around at his comrades. "What do you think, Draw?"

"Well, Anugal," replied his hefty companion, "Maybe it's because we saw his face on this here wanted poster?" Draw replied as he unfurled a wanted poster for Squall, revealing a bounty of 1 million gil on his head.

Anugal laughed, "That's it! Now maybe you want to tell us again, _stranger,_ you ever been around these parts before?" By now, many of the people in the bar had become restless. They knew a fight when they saw one. When Anugal and his partners took out their weapons, a few men got up and left. The young man Squall had noticed looked on, apparently interested in the fight that was about to unfold. Squall looked around. They had surrounded him...He looked at his gunblade. No way would he able to get to it in time...

BOOM! The table in front of Squall had burst into flames; Anugal and his men jumped back for a second. It was all the time Squall needed; he rolled out of the way of Anugal's bullets, grabbed his gunblade, and fired a shot at Draw. He then swung his gunblade down on Anugal, knocking him out. Out of the corner of his eye, Squall saw the young man enter the fray. The man cut down Anugal's remaining partner with a single stroke. The man gestured to Squall to follow him, and Squall nodded. The two ran out through the back entrance to the bar, not stopping until they were far from not only the bar, but from all of Esthar, into the reaches of the desert.

Night fell. The man stopped and raised an eyebrow at Squall. Squall wasn't surprised; not many people were in such great psychical condition. He was surprised the man seemed to be, though. Squall dropped down onto the sand. The man looked out onto the horizon, and said his first words to Squall:

"Night comes, monsters come with it. We'd better set up a watch. You can go to sleep. I'll wake you up later."

Squall said, "Thanks for your help, but I can handle it from here." He got up to walk away, but the man looked at him.

His eyes seemed dark, dead. "You are tired. What's more, you're injured." Squall blinked at this, and the man pointed to his waist, and Squall realized for the first time that there was a deep gash in his side. Squall got up with a grimace.

"It doesn't matter." Squall said, "I have to find my friends."

The man's eyes softened. "Let's stick together for a while. Consider it paying me back for helping you back there." Squall scowled. The last thing he needed was someone showing him kindness or charity, and definitely not friendship. But the man could be helpful...

"Whatever," said Squall as he lied down on the ground, "Wake me up later."

"What is your name, fellow warrior?" asked the man.

"...Squall Leonhart. Yours?" asked Squall. The man looked out onto the horizon with longing, as though something he had been searching his life for was now within reach.

"Ixidor Alucard."

**A/N: Well, that's the prologue, first chapter should be up soon, tell me what you guys think. Btw, for all you yaoi-loving people out there, sorry to tell you this but Squall and Ixidor aren't going to be a pairing in this fanfic, not now and not ever, I realize I might have put some signals out there to be misinterpreted. Pairings in this fic should be the usual Squinoa and Selphine, if at all, I want this to be more of an adventure than a romance.**


	2. Chapter 2: SeeDs

**A/N: Continuing the SeeD Extinction story, here's chapter two, R&R please, and oh yeah, I don't own FF8 and their characters, how many times do I have to say it?! JK, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Squall frowned. This wasn't what he called ideal. He looked over at the sleeping man. Ixidor Alucard...he supposed he should be grateful to him, after all, the man had helped him out. But he had to get moving, and this guy was slowing him down. He considered leaving; but the man had kept watch, and how could Squall do less than him, or betray him? Damnit...he would tell Ixidor he didn't want them to travel together. He swung his gunblade around impatiently in the pitch-black darkness of night.

He was going have to wait a while.

In Esthar, there is a rumor, about a small apartment near the Drunken Chocobo. Many people believe the apartment is haunted by the lost souls of the policemen that were killed in the bar. This rumor has been fueled by recent moanings and scuffling sounds coming from it. Obviously, the police have no desire to go anywhere near there. This is what made the small apartment the perfect place for a group of people to live while searching for their friend. However, they had been having trouble finding him for some reason...

Personally, Selphie hated the apartment. She disliked everything about the place; the dank, musty smell, the dust covering everything, and the lack of space most of all. Why they all had decided to stay in this place was beyond her.

Selphie scratched her head. "I thought Squall was supposed to be in Esthar?"

Quistis looked up. "That's was two years ago, Selphie. Besides, even if he's still there, there's no guarantee we'll find him."

Irvine walked in, gun in hand. "Hey, any news?" He asked. His eyes had bags from lack of sleep, and his gun had rusted, as he no longer had time or supplies to clean it.

"No," replied Quistis looking over the newpapers sprawled over the desk, "But I suppose no news is good news, as I expect Squall's capture would be in the front page."

A groan resonated throughout the apartment.

Irvine looked towards the bathroom. "Is Zell any better?"

Quistis sighed. "No, he's still feeling terrible, thanks to Selphie,"

"Hey, that's not nice!" yelled out Selphie, "I tried my best!"

Irvine smiled, "Yeah Selphie, I happened to love your cooking!"

"Thank you, Irvine." she giggled.

Quistis rolled her eyes. "Is this really the time? We should be out looking for Squall and Rinoa."

Irvine's head snapped up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" he sat down on a hard wooden chair and began, "So I went to this place called the Drunken Chocobo, right?"

Quistis snorted. "The Drunken Chocobo?"

"Hey, it was worth a shot!" Irvine said defensively, "Anyway, the place was wrecked. When I asked the bartender what had happened, he told me to go screw myself. Then I paid him a few Gil, and he told me the story about how three bounty hunters tore up the place fighting this guy with a scar and a gunblade. The guy was seen heading for the desert west of Esthar."

Quistis and Selphie exchanged glances, and Selphie yelled, "It's got to be Squall!"

Quistis asked, "Did the bartender say if anyone else was with him? Maybe Rinoa.."

"Yeah, I asked, but Rinoa wasn't with him." Quistis sighed...Ever since General Caraway's house had been raided and Rinoa had been declared missing, they had started searching for her as well as Squall. But to no avail; it was as if she had never existed, and whatever fate had befallen her remained a mystery.

"I guess we'd better pack it up," said Quistis, "We've got to go after Squall, we may not get another lead like this."

Irvine nodded. "Yeah, ok," he said, and he looked towards the bathroom, where a horrible retching sound was coming from, "But do we have to take him with us?"

Ixidor had dreamt about her again. He had promised her so many things, but what hurt the most was the most important one: I will never leave you.

So easy to make that promise, so difficult to keep it.

Ixidor woke up with a start. A new day; time to put those pathetic thoughts out of his mind. He got up out of the sand. "I see you didn't bother to make breakfast. Thanks a lot, partner.." Ixidor grumbled as he walked past Squall, and opened his bag. Maybe he had eggs they could Fire up or something...

His partner didn't look happy. "Enough with the 'partner' stuff already," Squall said, "I only waited for you to wake up to tell you that I'm going to go foward alone. I don't need your help anymore."

Ixidor looked at an egg-shaped object. "Does this look like a chocobo egg to you?" he asked Squall.

Squall looked at him. This was a waste of time. He turned to leave as Ixidor yelled, "Wait!" Squall stopped for a second. "Hold on," Ixidor said, "I'm looking for someone too."

Squall turned to face Ixidor, shocked. "How did you know I was looking for someone..?" he asked.

Ixidor looked down and took a breath, as if we were steeling himself for something. "Damn, I didn't want you to know, but...I guess you won't help me otherwise." The man raised his hand in a very familiar salute...

"Ixidor Alucard, weapons specialist, SeeD Rank A." The man looked at Squall. "It's great to see you again, Headmaster."

**A/N: Seems all of Squall's friends have survived, but will they find each other? And what's become of Rinoa? Well, that's Chapter 2, very short i know, but Chapter 3 should be up very soon.**


	3. Chapter 3: Partners

**A/N: Much thanks to Waves of Eternal Doom for the review, your question is answered in this chapter, and as always, R&R, comments/criticisms are appreciated.**

Chapter 3

Squall blinked in surprise. "A SeeD?" he asked. He had never heard of any surviving SeeDs. Sorceress Relena had conquered every Garden, and the SeeDs that had managed to escape had supposedly been hunted down. Squall knew this, though; Ixidor had never been in Balamb. Rank A SeeDs were almost constantly on missions, and even when they weren't on missions, they were kept careful track of.

Ixidor nodded and started walking. "I was...advanced for my age. I had no family to speak of, I doubt I ever did...I joined Trabia Garden when I was 7, and I became a SeeD when I turned 10. I rose through the ranks quite easily, and I became a Rank A SeeD at the age of 18, 5 years ago."

"How did you know I was looking for someone?" asked Squall, following Ixidor through the sand dunes.

Ixidor turned around. "In Trabia Garden, there was a little girl, a year younger than me. She wasn't the best fighter, so naturally I got stuck tutoring her, since I was a better SeeD than even some of the teachers. I was a Rank 15 SeeD when this happened, and at the rate I was going, I would never become a better SeeD. I wanted to spend every moment looking for that which would make me a better soldier, not mentoring a bad student. I shouldn't be held responsible for the weak just because I'm strong, I thought to myself. Back then, I pushed myself because I thought that the weak were destined to perish, and only the strong would reign. I thought of the girl as a waste of time."

"But that which I thought I had been cursed with turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I was ever given."

"She was a happy, cheerful girl, maybe a bit hyper though. While I taught her how to fight and use magic, she taught me something much more important. She taught me there was so much more to life than battles; there was friendship, and love..." Ixidor stopped and looked at the ocean in the distance.

"As you've probably guessed by now, that girl was Selphie Tilmitt." Ixidor said.

They walked on. "Selphie and I were best friends, and we did our best to keep in touch. She told me all about you, Squall Leonhart, as well as all your other friends."

Ixidor smiled. "The hours I would spend listening to her...I feel like I could write a book on you guys. A week after she arrived I was forced to go on a series of missions, so I wasn't there during or after the Galbadian missile attack. As soon as I got word I came back and did all I could to help rebuild Trabia Garden. The compassion and happiness Selphie had taught me was what I had needed, I think. I was awarded Rank A after Trabia had been rebuilt. After Sorceress Relena destroyed Balamb Garden, I decided to do what I could to save the future of SeeD. I begged all my friends and fellow SeeDs to leave Trabia Garden. Many people knew that Balamb was only the first step. Trabia Garden would surely be destroyed as well. Unfortunately, many didn't listen to me, and I had to go forward alone. 4 days after I left, Trabia Garden was annhilated. I hear many Trabian SeeDs escaped, and ever since then, I've been searching for my friends, like you have. I've had many adventures along the way...but I digress."

Ixidor's face turned serious. "A week ago, I recieved a transmission code-named "Lionheart", and it contained a message from Selphie. My best friend...I was overjoyed to hear from her. She told me that she was safe, and that she was looking for you, and that you were probably doing the same."

Squall frowned. "She didn't bother to contact me?"

Ixidor shrugged. "Only someone with a radio wave reciever could access that message," he said as he took out a small black device and threw it over to Squall, "If you don't have one, that's obviously why you didn't get the message."

Squall looked at it. It had a bunch of knobs and dials, and he didn't have the slightest clue how to work it. "This seems complicated to work." Squall said as he threw it back.

Ixidor caught it and put it away. "Selphie always was a bit smarter than everyone else on the class, it's only through her that I know what to do with it." he replied. He stopped walking. They had reached the shore.

Squall looked around and asked, "What are we doing here?"

Ixidor looked back at Squall. "Well, you're here to choose. If you choose to be partners, then we begin the first and final step of the SeeD Rebirth. We'll call all the SeeDs together and fight the Sorceress in one final battle."

Ixidor looked up at him. "Just like Edea Kramer wanted us to, right?"

Squall nodded.

Ixidor looked at his blade. "This journey won't be easy, but you know that. There are way too many dangers along the way, and the odds of us even surviving the trip are very, very, slim. But one way or the other, we'll find our friends again." He pointed in the direction of the Space Center. "If you choose to escape, to save yourself, to go it alone, then head in that direction. A SeeD named Asi is going to go to the old Lunar Space Station. But if you go, be prepared to never return, because he's loaded the place with explosives set to destroy the Center 5 minutes after he is launched into space. This way you won't have to worry about the Sorceress following you there." Ixidor looked up at the sky. "The choice is yours to make."

The waves beat against the rocks. Squall looked at Ixidor. Ixidor's eyes were cold, indifferent. A lot like Squall's used to be...

Squall said, "What are we waiting for? We've wasted enough time at this place." Ixidor grinned and nodded. He ran in the direction of the Great Salt Lake.

Squall looked up at the sky, like Ixidor had done. Storm clouds were gathering.

**A/N: Ixidor's story is revealed, and Squall and Ixidor form a partnership. Well, that's chapter 3, chapters 4-5 soon to come.**


	4. Chapter 4: Train Ride

Selphie ran through the dark alley. "Guys, come on!"

Irvine and Quistis followed her, carrying a sleeping Zell.

"Why not just wake him up, huh?" Irvine asked, annoyed.

"If you would work out once in a while, this wouldn't be a problem." Quistis whispered angrily.

"You wanna try carrying this load?"

"NO, get away from me!" The blond SeeD ran after Selphie, being chased by Irvine, carrying his unconscious comrade.

**Somewhere near the Great Salt Lake**

"Squall, we have to hurry," Ixidor said, slashing through the Estharian guards, "I heard one of them call for reinforcements. We have about..." He calculated quickly while dodging a Thundara spell, "5 and a half minutes before escape becomes impossible."

"Damn," Squall replied, slicing through an Elastoid, "How are we going to get on that train?"

"Quick, use a GF."

"I...I can't." Squall muttered, casting Cure on himself. The wounds on his left leg and his forearm healed almost instantly.

"What do you mean you can't?! We need a quick way out of here!" Ixidor shouted, jumping onto an Elastoid, then shooting it's laser through another Estharian.

"I left all my GF's with my friends..."

Ixidor cursed under his breath. He looked at the train that would take them out of the continent, only about 50 yards away. He looked at the stairs, and inspiration struck him.

"Squall, come on!" The gunblader nodded and followed Ixidor, Esthar soldiers and monsters on their heels.

"Squall, I need you to follow my lead, okay?"

"Got it, but what are you-"

"Okay, jump!" Ixidor had already jumped into the air. He turned in midair and shot a Firaga spell with one hand, and with the other put his blade under his feet. Squall got the message and followed suit.

Ixidor's blade landed on the banister of the stairs with a_ clang, _and he slid down the stairs on his makeshift skateboard. He turned and shot more Firaga spells into the squad of enemies. Squall slid on his gunblade, right behind him.

"We're going to make it!" Ixidor said, as they reached the bottom of the stairs and jumped off their blades.

The Estharians ran down the stairs, but they were too late; Ixidor and Squall ran into the train.

"Let's get out of here!" Ixidor shouted down the train.

The train screeched out of the station, and Squall saw the Estharians howl in anger. A bullet hit the glass of a window, but Ixidor and Squall had made it. They were safe.

For now.

"Nice work, Squall."

"You did good as well," Squall replied, "So, maybe you'll tell me where we're going."

"The schedule of this train says it's headed to Galbadia, but in reality we're headed to Dollet." Ixidor replied, sitting down.

"Why Dollet?" Squall asked.

"Well, in case you don't remember, you're a bit famous among us SeeDs." Ixidor said, "And we're making sure you have the utmost protection and are brought to our base of operations safely. It's part of the reason they sent me to find you. So we're going to meet with an escort of SeeDs at Dollet's plaza, and they'll take us to the base."

"Really?" Squall said, a bit surprised, "You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"It wasn't my idea," Ixidor said, "Believe me." Suddenly, a loud crash was heard, and sounds were coming from the conductor's box.

"Who's operating this train?" Squall asked.

A sense of dread gripped Ixidor as he got up and started walking down the aisles. "A SeeD, rank 4. Isa Lombardi. Besides her, we're supposed to be alone on this train."

Shouts were heard from the conductor's box, and a scuffling sound was heard.

"Come on!" Squall said, gripping his gunblade, and running past Ixidor.

They burst into the conductor's box, to see a horrible sight. Isa Lombardi was sprawled on the ground, dead. She was shot and stabbed in the head and chest. The bodies around her suggested she had taken a few soldiers with her. However, most of the soldiers were still alive, and they looked up at the two new arrivals.

"It's the SeeDs! Get them!" A soldier shouted, shooting at Squall and Ixidor.

"You monsters!" Ixidor shouted, diving at a soldier, and breaking his neck.

Squall fired off a Bio spell at a soldier, poisoning him.

Ixidor felt steel on flesh as a soldier's sword cut into his leg. Ixidor turned and cut his attacker's throat, and grabbed the last remaining enemy before he could escape.

"Now, talk! Why are you here?!" Ixidor asked, pressing his blade to the man's neck.

"I was just following orders! They told our group to come to the front of the train, and kill whoever was inside!"

"Too bad you didn't count on us," Ixidor said, raising his blade.

"Wait, Ixidor! 'Our group'...? Does that mean there are others on this train?" Squall asked the man.

"Yes, they sent thirty of us, ten to the front, ten to the back, and ten to the middle." The man said, scared out of his mind by Ixidor.

"Damn!" Ixidor said, throwing the man out a window, "Are we supposed to take them all on?"

"I suppose." Squall shrugged.

"No way," Ixidor said, "There's got to be..." He saw the train's engine, "Yes, I've got it. Squall, how many Firaga spells do you have left?"

"One." Squall said.

"All right, it'll have to be enough. We're going to get off this train. As soon as we do, I want you to shoot your Firaga into the furnace, got it?"

"Ixidor, if I do that, I'll..."

"Wipe out everyone on the train." Ixidor grinned, "We have to, if we plan to get to Dollet."

Squall heard voices, and pounding on the door.

Ixidor started, but regained his composure. "All right, let's get going."

Ixidor faded away, and a black dragon appeared, lithe and smooth. Its wings opened, and it looked at Squall as if to say, _Get on. _

Squall mounted the dragon, and they flew out through the window. Squall turned and saw some soldiers break into the room, and he clenched his fist in anger. But he had to, and he shot his last Firaga into the room. The flames caught the furnace, and the whole car exploded, followed by the explosions of the rest of the train cars.

_I'm sorry. _Squall thought to himself as the dragon took him farther from the carnage, and closer to Dollet.

The dragon landed in the Dollet plaza minutes later, and folded its sleek black wings as Squall jumped off.

A bullet flew out of nowhere, and pierced the dragon's skin.

Squall unsheathed his gunblade as the dragon howled in pain and flew into the air, ready to fight any threat. Machine gun fire shot the dragon down, and the dragon disappeared with an explosion. Ixidor reappeared, his head bleeding, and panting heavily.

"We've got company." Ixidor said as the Galbadians ran into the plaza, surrounding the two SeeDs, and outnumbering them fifty to one.


	5. Chapter 5: Reunions

Squall ran up behind Ixidor. "Think you can handle this many?"

Ixidor looked around. "Two SeeDs against a squadron of Galbadian soldiers? Gee, I wonder."

Squall smirked and opened fire. Ixidor ran at the nearest soldier, slicing the man's head off, and shooting a Firaga spell at the man's comrades.

Squall saw the men screaming and burning out of the corner of his eye. He cut through the first few soldiers, and felt a spasm of pain as he was shot in the arm.

He looked in the direction of his attacker, and was about to counter when Ixidor came up behind the man, and ran his sword through the man's neck.

"Ixidor, you don't have to make their deaths anymore painful than they have to be, you know…" Squall said as he slashed through another Galbadian.

Ixidor laughed, but it wasn't the laugh Squall had heard before. This one was evil, the kind of laugh that you hear when you're about to be brutally murdered. It wasn't human.

Squall and Ixidor kept fighting, and Ixidor's sword was shot out of his hand by the last soldier. Ixidor growled furiously as blood flowed freely from his wrist. He ran at the man, and dodging the shots with intense speed (he probably had Triple magic junctioned, Squall thought) he grabbed the man's leg, and threw the man into the ground. The man was then dragged by Ixidor and thrown through the window of a shop. Ixidor then jumped through the shattered window, and snapped the man's neck.

Ixidor grabbed his sword and started wiping the blood away as Squall looked on in horror.

"What?"

"Don't you think that was a bit extreme?" Squall said.

Ixidor shrugged and said, "It's not something I'd care to discuss."

Squall glared at Ixidor. "You are the most bloodthirsty, hotheaded person I have ever had the displeasure of knowing!" Squall said.

"Yeah, you should talk!" Ixidor retorted, "Jeez, you sound just like Rinoa."

"You DO know what happened to Rinoa!" Squall said accusingly. "Please, you have to tell me where she is!"

"Maybe I would, if I didn't think you would make a break for it as soon as I did!" Ixidor said.

Squall opened his mouth to reply, but he fell silent. Then he asked quietly, "Please, I'm begging you, tell me where she is!"

Ixidor's eyes softened for a bit, and he sighed as he said, "Look, Squall, Rinoa…"

Suddenly, an explosion sent Ixidor and Squall reeling. Smoke filled the plaza, and Squall hit the ground hard. He looked over at Ixidor.

"Squall, are you oka-" Ixidor's words were cut short as a long mechanical arm shot out from the smoke and hit Ixidor dead center. Ixidor went flying, and heard the bones crack as he fell on his arm, shattering it.

"Ixidor!" Squall shot a Thundaga spell at the arm, and the mechanical arm stopped for a second.

Ixidor sent a Tornado spell at the arm, which hit it, though Ixidor's real purpose for the spell was to clear the smoke. _Better take a look at what we're up against, _Ixidor thought to himself.

As the smoke cleared, the arm contracted, and Ixidor and Squall saw what it was connected to. A giant metal robot, with eight arms, flailing about, moved closer. It had a round body and moved around using wheels. It had a small head, with red glowing eyes. Eyes that Squall couldn't help but recognize… 

"Look out! Those eyes scan you! If that thing finds out your weaknesses, it'll kill you in a second!" Squall shouted.

"Got it!" Ixidor rolled out of the way of the arm, as it smashed into the ground where Ixidor's body just was.

The machine shifted its glance, the lasers of its eyes landing on Squall.

_Damn! _Squall ran under it, striking it with Thundaga spells, but the leviathan had got him. It retracted its arms and shot them under its body.

Squall jumped over one of them, and rolled out of the way of another.

"Squall, look out!" Ixidor threw his sword at another arm, and it dropped to the ground, inches from Squall's head.

"Thanks-" Squall let out a choking gasp, as he looked down.

Ixidor saw the arm protruding out of Squall's back, and yelled in shock.

"SQUALL!" He ran towards the wounded SeeD, but the robot turned an arm on Ixidor, and shot out a missile from it.

Ixidor cast a Protect spell, but he knew it wouldn't protect him from the brunt of the blast. He braced himself as the missile hit him, sending him into a building, and blowing the building to smithereens.

The robot turned to leave, its orders completed, when a bullet struck it in the back of the head. It reeled, and then turned to face its attacker.

Squall lowered his smoking gunblade, and grinned. He was sitting against a wall, the arm that had pierced his body lying next to him, broken and bloodstained. He clutched his gunblade with one hand; the other was holding the large gash in his stomach, and blood seeped through it.

The robot advanced towards Squall slowly.

Squall pulled the trigger on his gunblade again, but there was nothing.

"Out of ammo…so, is this it then?" Squall asked the looming figure, "No magic, no weapons, no strength….are we finally done for?" He thought of everyone else, and how he wouldn't be able to help them… "No, I won't…I won't have it!!"

With an inhuman strength, Squall lifted himself up, and swung his gunblade around. He launched himself at the robot, and the robot aimed all its weapons at him…

Suddenly, shards of ice flew out of nowhere, it seemed. They pierced the robot, and the robot whirled, attempting to counter the attack.

Squall stabbed the robot, dragging the blade down its back. He fell to the ground, exhausted. He looked at the crackling circuitry through the gash he had left on the robot.

The last thing he saw was the robot being engulfed in flames, and falling…a boy with blond hair smashing into it, another with a cowboy outfit shooting at it….

_Wait…I've seen them before…_

**Two days later**

Squall's eyes opened slowly. He got up and looked around. His eyes adjusted to the light, and he saw Zell, Irvine, and Quistis.

"Squall!" Quistis smiled, and the others suddenly looked at him.

"Hey," Squall smiled back, at all of them, as he was mobbed by the group, "I'm glad to see all of you." Something occurred to him, and he looked down. His wound was almost healed. "What did I miss, exactly?"

"Well, not a lot," Zell said, obviously relieved, "We beat that robot easily enough; after all, you and Ixidor weakened it a lot."

"Then we got you and Ixidor, and we were afraid we lost you," Quistis said, just as relieved, "But our Curaga and Esuna spells were able to keep you alive until we got here."

"Where is here, then?" Squall asked.

"You, my friend, are deep underground in a secret Garden bunker; so secret that half of the SeeDs left don't even know where it is." Irvine replied.

"This is our base of operations," Quistis explained, "You're in the hospital wing right now. You've been out for two days; needless to say you worried everyone."

"Hey," Squall asked, looking around, "Is Selphie here?"

"Yeah," Zell replied, motioning to Squall's right, "She's watching over Ixidor."

"Ixidor!" Squall said, looking over at where the unconscious SeeD lay, "How is he?"

Selphie looked back, and with a sad smile, said, "I'm glad you're okay, Squall." She turned back to Ixidor's bedside and said no more.

"Ixidor's fine, in theory," Irvine said softly, so Selphie wouldn't hear, "His vital signs are through the roof, his condition has stabilized…"

"All he needs to do now is wake up," Quistis finished, "And that might never happen."

"They crunched the numbers," Zell said, "He has a chance of survival."

"How big a chance?" Squall asked.

"3." Selphie replied, revealing she had been listening to the whole conversation.

"Selphie, I-" Squall began.

"Listen, I'd like to have a moment alone with Ix. Could you guys go over the plan with Squall? I bet he'd like that." Selphie said.

"All right," Irvine said, "Come on, Squall, let's go."

Squall looked at Ixidor's still body one last time, and nodded. He walked out with the others, leaving the small room.

"Ixidor, you will wake up soon, won't you?" Selphie asked, smiling. "You promised me you were going to be okay. You promised you were going to bring Squall back, and we were all going to fight together." Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at him, and stroked his jet black hair. She held his hand, and a tear fell down her face.

"You promised you were going to come back…"

Ixidor squeezed her hand softly, and if she wasn't paying attention she wouldn't have noticed it. But Selphie felt it, and her face brightened.

She wiped her tears as she said, "You will be okay, won't you, Ixidor? I know you're going to wake up soon. She felt herself drifting off into dreamland as she muttered, "Just please wake up soon…."

**A/N: Implied IxidorxSelphie? I wasn't expecting it, but I like something about it. Who knows what will happen in the next few chapters. **


End file.
